Learning assistant - RimWorld Wiki (2024)

The Learning Assistant gives a pawn that's been implanted with it a bonus of +20% Global Learning Factor.

When a pawn with this implant is shocked with EMP they will receive brain shock, knocking them unconscious temporarily.

Acquisition[edit]

Learning assistants can be crafted at a Fabrication bench once the Neural computation research project has been completed. The required techprint can be obtained either by trade or completing quests for the Empire. They require 15Plasteel, 4Advanced components, 26,000ticks (7.22mins) of work, and a Crafting skill of 8.

Summary[edit]

The learning assistant is a brain implant. It is implanted into the brain, but does not replace any natural parts. When implanted, it grants a +20% offset to the pawn's Global Learning Factor. However, the learning assistant also renders a pawn vulnerable to EMP. If shocked by an EMP blast, the pawn will be rendered unconscious with brain shock, lasting between 2,500ticks (41.67secs) and 3,500ticks (58.33secs).

Despite the item's description that the learning assistant works by replaying memories during sleep, the learning assistant works at all times and does not require sleep. It can be combined with sleep-reducing or eliminating mechanics, including the circadian half-cycler or the Never sleep gene, without penalty.

As an artificial part, learning assistants will give a mood buff to anyone with the Body modder trait, and a mood penalty to anyone with the Body purist trait. They will also satisfy colonists with a transhumanist ideology.

Installation[edit]

Installing the part requires 2,500ticks (41.67secs) of work, 2x medicine of herbal quality or better, and a Medical skill of 5.

Removing the part requires 2,500ticks (41.67secs) of work, 1x medicine of herbal quality or better, and a Medical skill of 5.

If the operation fails, the part will be destroyed.

Analysis[edit]

The learning assistant's bonus is additive with other sources of increased Global Learning Factor. However, a pawn's Passion Multiplier for the skill they are learning is multiplicative with the pawn's global learning factor. This results in a quantitatively larger increase in XP gain when the pawn is performing work for which they are passionate, and also means that the qualitative difference before and after installing the implant will be larger for pawns with a lower Global Learning Factor. A slow learner's experience gain would be ×180% as fast after the addition of the assistant, while a fast learner would increase to ×111% as fast after the addition of the assistant. Despite this, even an +11% increase is a significant reduction in the time taken to reach high levels. For a full breakdown of all sources of Global Learning Factor, see Global Learning Factor.

Learning assistants can be safely used on most pawns. However, remember that installing a learning assistant will make a pawn vulnerable to EMP. Exercise caution when installing learning assistants on pawns who frequently see combat, especially on the front lines where EMP blasts may be common. Installing learning assistants on melee pawns is inadvisable, as they can no longer be supported with EMP grenades when fighting mechanoids.